Why I’ve Chosen to Support the Organization Sandy Hook Promise

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As we search for ways to do something to make a difference in light of the recent tragedy in Uvalde, I am sharing about Sandy Hook Promise and why I support their organization. 

In 2004, I stopped watching the news. A horrible tragedy in Russia took the lives of children – children who reminded me of my oldest daughter who would begin kindergarten in 2005.

I remember becoming physically ill and deciding I couldn’t watch the news anymore.

Slowly, after a few years passed, I began watching and reading, feeling compelled to know what was happening in our world so that I could learn more about how to make the world more beautiful and more hopeful for my children. I waded through the hateful words, the unfriending, and the confusion to try and stay open-minded, informed, and kind.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, I signed up to receive texts from the Sandy Hook Promise. My heart still skips a beat when I read Daniel’s father’s birthday wishes to him each year. The organization has founded programs such as ‘Start with Hello‘ and ‘Say Something’.

You can support any of the programs individually or you can support the organization as a whole. You do not have to agree with everything they support to see that their programs are making a difference. They have received over 82,000 anonymous tips and have confirmed that 296 lives have been saved through their programs.

This week, I drove my oldest daughter to the airport to fly to a friend’s wedding. After I dropped her off, I was exiting the terminal and there it was – the flag at half mast. The sobs came. These new faces added to the grief I had been holding since 2004.

I drove home with the headache that comes from crying, feeling utterly ridiculous for having the audacity to feel pain when my own children are fine. I felt like closing my eyes again. I feel like turning off the news forever.

But I know that won’t help.

I will teach my children to say ‘hello’ to the lonely and say something to adults if they see something that isn’t quite right. I will study and read about legislation, try to understand exactly what is being asked, and decide where I stand.

I will remember not to hold my breath, but to use it to learn and search and fight for change. I will remember not to take one moment of this life for granted. I will remember their names.